Love is Hard, but Loneliness is Harder
by 1GirlRevolution
Summary: Toph loves Sokka, but she knows that it can never end well. Meanwhile, Zuko has problems of his own. Tokka and Maiko centred. Continues after The Boiling Rock. Spoiler Free for Southern Raiders, Ember Island Players, and Sozin's Comet.
1. Invisible

**Thank you for reading my fanfic; this is my first one, so please review; constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Also, I have done my best to edit (and re-edit) this fanfic as much as possible, so there shouldn't be any mistakes, but if you do happen to come across any spelling or grammatical errors, if you could let me know, that would be greatly appreciated. There are absolutely no spoilers in this story as I have not read the spoilery book. Everything is based soley on speculation (and hope :D). I am also going to try to finish this before the new episodes air, so expect new chapters soon. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. The last time I checked my name was not Mike or Brian**

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"_Toph, can you promise me something?"_

"_Sure, anything."_

"_I know I just met you not too long ago, but already I'm talking to you as if I've known you my whole life. I love how I can just say anything to you, and you'll listen. You're the best friend that I've ever had. Toph…"_

"_What is it Sokka?"_

"_Promise me…promise me that you won't let anything happen to yourself."_

"_I promise."_

"Toph? Toph!" Katara's voice cut into her reverie.

"What is it now?" Toph was annoyed at being interrupted yet again. Couldn't anyone have some peace and quiet once in a while?

"Whoa, no need for the edginess. I was just coming to say that dinner's ready."

"Should I even bother asking if there's any meat, or are we just going to eat like vegetarians for the rest of our lives?" Toph asked sarcastically.

"No," Katara replied with an edge of irritation in her voice.

"No, I shouldn't bother asking or…no, we're not going to eat like vegetarians for the rest of our lives?"

"Both!" she snapped, irritation turning dangerously close into anger. Toph laughed. She was way too easy to annoy. That was one of the few things she shared in common with her brother. Toph sighed. Her brother. No matter how hard she tried to keep her mind off him, somehow, her thoughts kept on coming back to the young Water Tribe warrior. The loud, annoying, sarcastic Water Tribe warrior who had somehow managed to steal Toph's heart. She didn't know how really. They had started out as just friends. But as they had gotten to know each other better, it had grown into something more. It was like they had formed a special bond with each other. Or at least it had felt that way to her. Sokka was the only one that Toph could really talk to. The only one who really understood her. She began to like his sarcastic attitude, laugh at his unfunny jokes, and, although she still made fun of him for his constant blunders, she treasured that part of him too. And before she knew it, despite the fact that she had never seen his face, Toph began to think of him as more then just her best friend. He was everything to her. But she knew it could never end well.

"Toph! Are you coming, or do you really hate my cooking so badly that you would rather starve to death?"

Toph shook herself from her memories, and silently scolded herself for letting herself daydream yet again.

"Well, now that you mention it…" Toph smirked.

"Just, come on! Everyone's waiting!" the exasperated waterbender yelled back with a sigh.

"Alright, alright! I'm coming. The world, as we know it, is not coming to an end. Not yet, anyway," she joked.

Toph walked through the doorway onto the platform which they had officially dubbed their meeting place. It was suspended on pillars attached to the cliff face and gave a spectacular view of the entire Western Air Temple. Well, for everyone else anyway. From this location they could spot any intruders, and the fountain in the center gave Katara an easy access to water in case they were attacked. The platform was connected by a staircase to a bigger series of platforms attached to the roof of the cliff that they had decided to make into their temporary home.

Toph joined her friends who were circled around the fire. It was a lot quieter now that half their group had left. Toph liked it that way; it had started to get a little crowded. After Sokka and Zuko's little "fishing trip", Sokka's and Katara's dad decided to leave to see if he could find any evidence on the whereabouts of the other prisoners who had been captured after their failure on the Day of Black Sun which it had come to be known as. Haru, The Duke, and the random fire nation guy who had just shown up had gone with him to help. And after much persuasion, Teo convinced them to let him come too with the logic that he could encourage the rest of the Airwalkers to help with the second invasion that was inevitably going to take place.

So now, everything was back to normal again. Katara was busy stirring the, _sigh_, vegetable soup by the fire. Zuko was telling another one of his tea jokes to Aang who politely tried to laugh, but failed miserably, and Sokka was sitting beside Suki a bit separate from their little group. She could hear their voices and an occasional laugh. Toph sighed. Her heart nearly broke. She remembered when that had been her. She had always been the one that Sokka had chosen to laugh and share his problems with. And now it felt like she had been replaced. But she hadn't been. It was just that Suki's place was more important. She was his girlfriend. If Toph just thought of Sokka as her best friend, she wouldn't have minded so much, but in the position she was in, it almost made her sick.

"Toph? Are you okay? You've hardly touched your food." Katara asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. I'm just not hungry right now. I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight." Katara could be so annoying sometimes. Toph stood up and started to walk towards her room. Maybe now she could get some time to think.

She lay in her bed that night trying to go to sleep, but she just couldn't. Too many thoughts were flying through her mind. He was everything to her, but she was just invisible to him. Did he know how much he meant to her? Did anyone? How had it all come to this? She remembered how she had used to be. _You were the strong, independent earthbender who never let her feelings get in the way of anything,_ she thought. _Where did you go?_ She knew she couldn't continue like this. But she couldn't possibly tell him. He was happy now, and it would only complicate everything. She knew she could never be with him; all she could do now was hope that Suki loved him as much as he loved her. But she knew that if she kept her feelings bottled up inside she would explode. But what was she supposed to do? She had never experienced anything like this before. And for the first time in her young life, Toph was afraid.

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	2. Qualms of a Prince

**Next chap! Yay! Actually I already have the next 3 chapters written, but I'm waiting for my sister to read them first, so yeah, blame her :D. And I might might might edit this chap a tiny little bit depending on how my story goes. But probably not. I'll let you know if I do.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. If I did, this wouldn't be just a fanfic.**

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"How was that?" Aang eagerly asked.

"You have all the motions correct, but they're not fluid enough. This technique is completely different from everything else I've been teaching you. You have to imagine that you're waterbending, not firebending," Zuko replied. He sighed. The young Avatar was a good student, but he was a little impatient sometimes. Exasperated, Aang tried again.

"How was that one?" he asked.

"That was perfect. Now do it again twenty more times," the former Crown Prince of the Fire Nation replied.

"Twenty times?! Aang exclaimed.

"Well, do you want to be prepared the next time you get lightning shot at you or not?! Zuko retorted. Aang groaned.

"If I keep this up, I won't last long enough to even give the firelord a chance to generate lightning," he grumbled under his breath as he repeated the steps of the lightning redirection technique.

"Trust me. You'll thank me later." Zuko sighed as he subconsciously touched the scar that covered his left eye and extended to his ear. He didn't think that Aang fully realized what his father was capable of doing. Zuko hadn't forgotten the enormous lightning bolt that the firelord had blasted at him. If his uncle, Iroh, hadn't taught him the redirection trick, he wouldn't even be here to pass it on to Aang.

"There. That's twenty," Aang stated. "Now I am completely prepared in case Azula decides she's going to kill me again."

"This is nothing to joke about! If you think my sister is bad, well, just wait! You won't be laughing so hard when my father decides he's going to turn you into a pile of ash. If I were you, I would spend less time complaining and focus more on your training."

"Okay, okay. No need to give me flames about it," Aang replied with a big smile on his face. Zuko's face, on the other hand, wasn't exactly a picture of happiness.

"You're impossible!" he cried storming away. How was he supposed to teach somebody who didn't take his training seriously?

"Does that mean training's over then?" he heard the Avatar happily shout after him.

Zuko sighed and turned around. "Until tomorrow, yes. In the meantime, I highly suggest that you go find Toph, and continue mastering earthbending. There isn't very much time before Sozin's comet comes. You'll need all the preparation you can get." Zuko shuddered. He couldn't imagine how powerful his father would be with the added extra strength the comet would give him. But then again, since it made all firebenders more powerful that meant he and Aang would also benefit from it. All things considered though, it was still going to be the biggest and hardest battle any of them had ever fought. Especially for Aang. It was sad really. He was just a twelve year old boy, and already he was expected to save the world. Zuko sighed. What had this world come to? But that was why they were all here. To defeat the firelord and bring peace after one hundred years of war. And it was his job, his destiny, to teach Aang firebending.

Zuko remembered when his ultimate goal was to capture the Avatar, and restore his honour. He had endured three years of banishment dealt to him by his father. Zuko remembered all the confusion and inner turmoil he had struggled with through his journey to find himself. But he couldn't have made it without his uncle. His uncle had helped him and guided him, explaining to him that he was in control of his own destiny. Iroh had been a real father to him, but Zuko hadn't seen it. He remembered with remorse his betrayal to his uncle. After the Avatar was presumed dead, Zuko had been accepted back home and given his honour back, but somehow it wasn't enough. He felt empty as if a piece of him were missing. He was more confused then ever before. He needed help, but there was nobody to give it to him. Even his uncle seemed to have turned his back on him, and Zuko didn't blame him. And just when Zuko thought he was going to go insane, it was his uncle who once again helped him find himself. Zuko remembered the Day of Black Sun when he had faced his father, and told him of his decision to join the Avatar. He had never been so scared in his life, but he knew that this was his destiny.

And now here he was, and for the first time in his life, he felt complete, like he actually belonged. But he couldn't have gotten there without someone to guide him, to help him, and give him advice. Zuko only wished that he could in turn pass on this gift his uncle had given him to someone else.

"Zuko." Aang's voice cut into his memories.

"What is it?" Zuko asked exasperatedly.

"I can't find Toph anywhere. Do you know where she went?"

"No, I haven't seen her since this morning at breakfast. She's probably off practicing her earthbending. Like you should be doing," he replied testily.

"I'll just go find Katara and practice my waterbending," Aang replied.

"Fine. Why are telling me this?" Zuko replied, annoyed now.

"I'm not. Bye," Aang said, hurriedly striding away.

Zuko sighed as he started walking toward his favourite spot of the temple, a place where he went to when he wanted to be by himself. It was a platform with a small semicircle ledge that jutted out over the canyon. A statue of an airbender stood directly behind the small outcrop. It was a fairly secluded part of the temple, and so far, nobody else had discovered it. Until now. As he stepped through the doorway onto the platform, he spotted a small figure sitting on the ledge, feet dangling over the edge.

"What do you want?" the figure asked. It had to be Toph. Nobody else could have sensed him coming like that. He found it remarkable really. Most people saw blindness as a weakness, but Toph had overcome this by figuring out another way to "see" by sensing vibrations in the ground using earthbending. She had turned what seemed to be a weakness into a strength, a gift even, and Zuko admired her for that. She seemed like an emotionally stable girl who could face any problem thrown her way, unmoving, like a rock. Which was why he was surprised when she turned around. Her eyes glistened as if she had tears in them.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here. I'll leave you alone if you want," he stammered. She stood up and started walking toward him.

"It's alright. I need to go find Aang anyway; he still needs to work on his earthbending." He thought he heard her voice tremble a little as she passed him and disappeared down the hallway. Zuko knew right away that she was hiding something. He sighed. He worried about her. She hardly ate anything anymore and spent more and more time by herself choosing to sleep in her own room although they usually all slept in the meeting place. It upset him to know that something was troubling her. Zuko cared about her more than most people would think at first. Out of everyone, Toph had been the first to befriend him; she was closer to him than the other members of their little group, and although he would never admit it to anyone Zuko had started to think of the young earthbender as the little sister he had never really had. He wondered what was wrong although he suspected he already knew.


	3. Decisions

**Next chap! Yay! On the same day as the last one too. Actually technically it's not the same day because it's like midnight, but oh well :D.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Avatar. **

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She let him go. She had to; it was the only way that she could be herself again. Not only did she not have a chance anyway, but now her hard-earned reputation was at risk. How had she been so careless as to let Zuko see her like that? Not that she had actually been crying, but she had been close to it, and that's what Zuko had probably thought. So, now she was over him. Completely. He was a jerk anyway. Toph tried to count how many thoughtless things Sokka had done since she had met him. Her list didn't get very far, and most of them were things that she probably deserved anyway. No, Sokka wasn't a jerk. He was her best friend but nothing more. It had never been anything more, and it never would be. And now she, Toph, was just going to rewind and start over from before she had ever felt anything for Sokka. Back to when she just thought of him as her best friend. When they would stay up late talking to each other around the campfire telling each other secrets and laughing with each other without the feeling of loneliness that had always been at the pit of her stomach. She felt as if a load had been lifted off her back as she walked back into camp where everyone was sitting around the fire enjoying what Toph hoped to be something other than vegetables.

"Toph, where have you been? I haven't seen you all day!" Katara. Always the worrier.

"Just off by myself practicing earthbending." It wasn't a total lie; she had kicked a few rocks into the air, but she didn't want to admit that she had been off by herself doing absolutely nothing all day. Knowing Katara, she might think something was up and get all nosy about it. "So, what's on the menu? Vegetables, vegetables, or vegetables?" Toph asked.

"Haha. You'd better watch out, Toph; she just shot you a look that basically could have said, "I would be quiet in about two seconds if I were you because it will take me less than that to kill you." That was Zuko's voice; and a little imitation of Katara mixed in. Wow, he was really playing with fire if he was making fun of Katara who actually probably wouldn't mind killing him at the moment.

"Thanks, Zuko." She heard Katara say in a sarcastic voice. That's it? That's all she was going to say? She and Zuko must be on good terms now. Well, maybe not good, but at least better than, "You screw up, I'll kill you." Katara didn't know it, but Toph had heard her little death threat to Zuko. She wondered when Katara had decided Zuko wasn't such a bad guy after all and how it had happened.

"Actually, Toph, it's not vegetables," Aang piped up from behind her.

"Really? What a relief. What is it then?" she asked happily. Finally, something real to eat.

"Apples and nuts," Aang replied. Toph's happy disposition all of a sudden wasn't so happy anymore. "Are you kidding me?" she asked.

"Sorry, we're running out of supplies, and Sokka has been too busy to go get us some meat," Katara replied with a sigh. Toph felt a twinge of guilt. Everyone else had been off training and what-not while she had been off by herself all day. She quickly brushed the feeling away; it's not like she hadn't been doing anything.

"We're going to have to find somewhere else to live. We can't prepare for the invasion here; we need easier access to supplies," Katara said. At this, Sokka, who had been contentedly conversing with Suki decided to join the conversation.

"But where are we going to go? It's getting dangerous to go out in the open now, especially with an escapee from the most high-security prison in the entire fire nation. No offense, Suki." Toph could tell by his voice that he was smiling.

"That's alright, Sokka," Suki replied. "It's kind of a compliment anyway." She was smiling back. Toph suddenly got the old feeling in the pit of her stomach again. But she quickly pushed it back. It was over now. She wasn't going back.

"I know of a place we can go," Zuko offered. "It's an old beach house on Ember Island that my family used to go to when I was little. Nobody knows who I am there, and Azula would never think to look for us there if she's chasing us. Also, it's close to the Royal City, so we won't need to travel as far when the time comes."

"But, how are we going to get there?" Aang asked. "We can't fly on Appa; he's too noticeable."

"Well, the house is on one end of the island, so it's surrounded by water on three sides. The front of it faces one side of the beach, but there are cliffs around the other sides that hide it from the rest of the beach. We could approach it from the rear flying on Appa, until we get close; then he could just swim the rest of the way to the island. The cliffs will prevent anyone from spotting him. We'll go at night as well, so anyone who is happening to take a midnight stroll will mistake him for a boat." Toph had to hand it to Zuko. That was a pretty good plan.

"Well, I don't see anything wrong with the plan," Katara said. "Anyone have any objections?" Different variations of "No," rose from each member of the group.

"So, it's settled then," Aang stated. "To Ember Island we go. We'll set out first thing tomorrow morning."

Tomorrow morning came. The sun rose slowly as everyone prepared to leave for what was probably their last stop before the invasion. Well, almost everybody.

"Where is Sokka?" Katara asked annoyed. "Everyone's almost packed already. If he's still in bed…"

"It's alright, Katara," Toph replied with a smile. "I'll handle it." She stamped her foot, and a cry was promptly heard. A few seconds later, a very angry Sokka stumbled out of his room. "WHY do you have to do that EVERY morning?!" Here we go. "Do you know that I have never had a peaceful sleep since I decided to join Aang?" Blah blah blah. "I could write a book about all the different ways I have been jolted from a peaceful dream!" Haha; he probably could. "An imaginary prickle snake in my sleeping bag, someone attacking us, Momo's hand in my mouth…" Momo's hand in his mouth? Haha; she hadn't heard that one before; that must have been hilarious.

"Well, it's your own fault," Katara said beside her. Sokka trudged back to his room muttering under his breath. Toph suspected she was the topic of his jabbering.

Soon everyone, including Sokka, was packed and ready to go. "Appa, yip yip!" Aang cried. "So how long is it to this beach house?" he asked Sokka. "Now that we have six people, Appa's not going to be able to fly as long."

"That's alright," Sokka replied as he looked up from the map he was studying. "Since we decided to get up at the crack of dawn, we should get there flying non-stop by nightfall. We'll have plenty of time for a break, since we have to wait until it gets dark anyway."

"The crack of dawn? Sokka, the sun had been up for a couple hours when you finally decided to get up," Katara stated.

"Decided? More like forced. And anyway, we need rest to prepare us for the invasion coming up," Sokka argued.  
"Weren't you the one who made us get up forty-three minutes earlier that one time at the river village?" Toph retorted.

"Hey, we were on a tight schedule then, and if I recall correctly, you refused," Sokka replied, edgily.

"Well, if you want you can sleep now," Katara cut in, ending the argument.

They continued their journey conversing with each other, and occasionally arguing, stopping once to let Appa rest. The island came in sight just as nightfall arrived. Appa landed on the water and prepared to swim the rest of the way. As Zuko had predicted, they reached the beach without a hitch. It was only a short walk to the house. "So this is where you used to live?" Suki asked curiously.

"Well, only on vacations. It hasn't been used in a few years, though," Zuko replied. They walked up the steps to the front door. To her dismay, Toph realized that the floor was made of wood. Well, obviously; it was a beach house. Zuko must have noticed her concern. "Sorry, Toph, the floors are made of wood, but if you want, I'll lead you around the place until you get used to where everything is. You should be fine just as long as we don't get attacked." Well, thanks for the comforting thought, Zuko. But Toph knew he was just trying to help, so she decided to accept his offer. "Thanks, Zuko. That would be great." Zuko gave everyone a small tour of the house. After a short meal, Zuko led Toph to her room as everyone got ready for bed. As he turned to leave he stopped in the doorway. "Toph. I . . . Never mind. Good night," he said. Toph heard his footsteps slowly fade as he walked away. She wondered what he had wanted to say. Oh well; if it was important she would find out. Tired she lay down in her bed and drifted into a peaceful slumber.


	4. Promise

**Next chap! Yay! I just started the last two chapters with that same statement :D. Anyway I had the little scene at the end of this chapter in my mind for a while, so now it's out of my mind and onto the paper (or technically the computer screen :D).**

**Disclaimer: Hmmm, let me go rewatch Boiling Rock. Suki still likes Sokka? They kiss?? Nope. Don't own Avatar.**

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Zuko had a lot on his mind as he slowly walked through his old house. The past week that they had spent here had given him plenty of time to think about, well, everything. Memories of his childhood came into his head everywhere he walked. He stopped and looked at a picture of his family. He remembered a time when everything had been so much better.

"I guess this place brings back a lot of memories, doesn't it." He started as Katara's voice suddenly broke the silence behind him.

"Yeah, I guess," he stated simply. He didn't really know what to say. They weren't exactly best friends yet, although Katara did trust him a little more now. _"My brother told me everything, and I've decided that you're not going to murder us in our sleep,"_ had been her exact words. That had been a week before they left the Western Air Temple, and by now, they had gotten to know each other a lot better and had slowly become friends. Well, not exactly friends, but they respected each other.

"Well, I'll leave you alone then," she said as she turned and walked away. Zuko sighed. She was one of the people that were on his mind. The truth was, he needed her help for something, and he didn't know if she really trusted him completely yet. He wondered if she ever would. He had already broken her trust once in the past. Could he ever get it back? Well, whether she trusted him or not, sooner or later, he had to ask for her help if his plans were going to work out, and sooner would be better if possible. There was also someone else on his mind. The young earthbender, Toph. He was almost one hundred percent sure that he knew what was troubling her, but what if he was wrong? She seemed perfectly fine now, but Zuko knew she was just in denial. But what if she wasn't? What if she had completely gotten over him, and he was just overanalyzing? Should he go and talk to her? But what if he was wrong about everything? No, he wasn't; he had noticed it the first day he had been here. He was surprised nobody else had. But then again, they had known her way longer than he. She didn't seem like the type of person who would fall in love with someone. In fact, if he hadn't seen it at the beginning, he probably wouldn't have noticed either. And now he was second guessing himself. Toph hid her emotions well, but he knew she must be hurting inside. But was it right to interfere? Of course it was; he just wanted to offer her someone to talk to. He had to; he couldn't just leave it like this. He cared about her too much. It was frustrating; he had only been part of their group for what, a month? And already he was thinking of them as his family. Zuko sighed. He'd go ask her about everything tonight.

The day passed by quickly. Everybody was busy with his or her own thing. Katara had gone to get some supplies from the local market, Toph was practicing earthbending with Aang, Sokka was with Suki, and Zuko had also been teaching Aang firebending. Nightfall quickly came. It was a beautiful one tonight. The moon hung nearly full in the sky, and stars dotted the vast expanse like millions of little pinpoints of light. Zuko sighed; he couldn't put it off any longer. He slowly walked towards Toph's room making sure he made heavy footsteps, so she would know he was coming. "Toph-" he started to say as he reached her doorway. But she wasn't there. It was still pretty early; she was probably down by the beach practicing earthbending or something. He left the house and started walking around the area. The breeze from the sea was cool and refreshing. The temperature was perfect. He soon spotted Toph sitting by herself on a small rock facing the beach not too far from where the house stood. Zuko recognized it as the very spot that he, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee had been sitting that night when they visited the beach. Great. More memories to bother him. But that wasn't what he had come here for.

"What is it?" Toph asked. Right. She could feel him coming now that she wasn't in the house; he had forgotten.

"Toph, can I talk to you about something?" he asked slowly.

"Sure, anything," she replied simply. Zuko sat down beside her. How was he going to start? He decided to get right to the point.

"You like him, don't you?" he asked.

"What?!" She said this as if he had just asked her the craziest question in the world. Zuko panicked. Maybe he had.

"Sokka. You like him, don't you?" he clarified. Toph was silent for a few moments. That silence told Zuko everything.

"Well, yeah, of course. He's my friend," she stated. Yeah right. Zuko didn't need Toph's ability to detect lies with earthbending to know that she was just avoiding the question.

"But you like him as more than a friend, don't you?" He had basically just asked the same question three times. There was more silence. Toph was probably preparing what she was going to say. Or maybe not. Zuko really had no idea. This wasn't turning out like he had anticipated. All of a sudden Toph blurted out in one breath, "Well, maybe I did before, but now I've gotten over him. I mean he's with Suki, and I don't like him that much. I mean-"

"Toph," Zuko cut in. "It's okay. You can talk to me. I'll listen." Toph sighed.

"Okay. …Thanks Zuko. The thing is…I can't lie to myself anymore. I don't know what to do. Everything is so different than what I expected. And what makes it worse is remembering the way we'd laugh together and share secrets and talk all night. He was the only one I could really confide in, and who really understood me. But now, it's different… Suki… Well we hardly ever talk anymore now. I feel as if I've lost him. As if he just… left."

"It hurts doesn't it? Losing someone you love," Zuko replied. "As if a piece of you is missing, and you don't know if you can ever get it back. And no matter how hard you try to get rid of it, the loneliness is always there, and it hurts so much, your heart aches." Zuko could tell from Toph's expression that he had hit the mark dead on. But all she said was, "You're talking about someone in particular aren't you?" Her voice trembled slightly. She was just trying to change the subject. Zuko didn't blame her.

"Yeah," he replied. "I had a girlfriend, but when I left the Fire Nation, I had to leave her behind. It hurt more than anything." He didn't want to tell her the whole story of what happened at the Boiling Rock. This was supposed to be about Toph, and it was a sensitive subject for him as well.

"Who was it?" she asked curiously.

"Well," he wasn't exactly sure what her reaction would be, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to tell her. "Do you remember Mai?"

"The crazy knife girl? She was your girlfriend??" Zuko wasn't sure if "crazy knife girl" was better or worse than "the gloomy girl who sighs a lot". He wondered what impression he had given them before he joined their group. He didn't want to know. Toph started laughing. It started off as just a soft chuckle, but it slowly grew until she was basically falling off the rock. He didn't know it was that funny. But then suddenly he heard a soft sob in between the laughter. He realized that this was just the result of all the turmoil she had had to deal with. Soon her laughter faded, and was replaced by tears as all the emotions she had kept bottled up inside suddenly broke loose. And Zuko was stuck there without a clue of what to do. He had never seen anyone break down like this. So he just did what he thought any brother should do. He picked the small girl up in his arms, and just held her there as if he would never let go. "It's okay," he whispered softly. "Everything's going to be alright. I promise." And he fervently hoped that that promise wouldn't be broken.


	5. Turn of Events

**Next chap! Sweet! Haha, it was different this time! So, yeah, hope you're enjoying it so far. A lot of the content in this chapter is inspired by real life events. Wow, that sentence sounded all professional like in a movie or something :D. Like Sokka's flashback in the beginning is kind of based off of a conversation I had with my sister (me being Sokka in this case, and I guess she would have been Toph). I kind of asked her the same thing, and that was basically her anwer. And a few other little things that I won't point out because it would spoil the chapter, so yeah. This should be a very realistic chapter :D. Anyway, this is the last Tokka chapter for a while. The next few chaps will be Maiko. Yay! :D**

**Disclaimer: I wish I did, but I don't own Avatar.**

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Sokka paced the floor of his room. He was nervous. He had asked Suki to meet him down at the beach in an hour; he had something to tell her, but now he was thinking of chickening out. What would she say? She probably wouldn't be too happy at the very least. But Sokka knew he had to tell her sooner or later. The truth was he wasn't so sure it was working out between them. It was different seeing someone from time to time than actually living with them, and in the month that Suki had been with their group, Sokka had gotten to know her a lot better. It wasn't that he didn't like her. She was a great friend, but, well, they just weren't made for each other. He remembered a conversation he had had with Toph a while ago…

"_Toph, how do you think it feels when you fall in love with someone?" Sokka asked quietly. The light of the campfire cast eerie shadows on the trees around them._

"_I'm not sure, Sokka," the earthbender replied. "Why?"_

"_Just imagine it for a second." Silence surrounded them for a few moments as Toph thought about the question._

"_Well," she started slowly. "I think that you would want to spend all your time with them and always be with them, and if they were gone for even a minute, you would miss them."_

Sokka hadn't really thought much of it at the time, but now he realized that Toph was probably right. And he also realized that he didn't have that feeling. He had at first. He missed her terribly especially since they didn't see each other for months on end, but to tell the truth, now that they were with each other all the time, they were starting to get on each others' nerves. Frankly, Sokka thought that they had rushed into things, and now, it just wasn't working out. _Sigh_, he needed something to pass the time with. He decided to go find Zuko to practice his sword fighting. Sokka walked through the doorway and down the hall to his right. He looked at the different Fire Nation artifacts that could be found in various places of the house. It was strange living in the home of the Firelord. They had been here for about two weeks already, and he still wasn't used to it. He spotted Zuko teaching Aang firebending. The young Avatar was improving a lot. He waited until they were finished then proceeded to challenge Zuko.

"Now?" was his unenthusiastic response. "I just finished training Aang, and it's almost nightfall."

"Please?" Sokka asked. He needed something to distract him.

"Fine. Just let me get my swords." Zuko disappeared into the house, and quickly reappeared with his twin swords hanging from a belt on his back.

"And no firebending. You almost burnt my hand off the last time," Sokka stated.

"Haha. Fair enough," the fire prince replied. They sparred for a few minutes. Zuko was lucky. Not only was he a firebending master, but he also was a master swordsman. Sokka found it hard to keep up. The thoughts that were running through his mind at the moment weren't helping either. "You're not as quick today," Zuko said, as he knocked Sokka's sword out of his hand, "Or maybe you're just not trying your hardest because you know that it's impossible to beat me." He laughed.

"I've just got a lot on my mind right now," Sokka replied, out of breath.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Zuko stated. Sokka glanced at the sky. It was almost dark. Suki was probably waiting for him. He slowly walked down to the place where he had asked her to meet him. It was the perfect spot. Located not too far from the front of the house, it faced the beach, and was surrounded by walls of rock on three sides. A few rocks randomly placed here and there offered perfect benches. As Sokka had predicted, Suki was already there.

"Hey," she said as he approached the rock she was sitting on.

"Hi, Suki," he replied. "I wanted to talk to you about something. I mean…of course I wanted to talk to you about something; otherwise why would I have asked you to come?" he blabbered with a nervous laugh.

"Sokka, there's something I need to talk to you about too," Suki said quietly. There was? Sokka wondered what it was. "It's about us," she stated. Sokka's heart started racing. Now he was really nervous. Depending on what Suki was going to say, his planned speech might be more difficult than he thought. "The thing is…" Suki continued, "I've been thinking, and I just don't think it's working out between the two of us." Sokka could have fainted with relief. He would have hated to break her heart.

"Really? That's great. I mean…it's not great, but…the thing is that…well, that's exactly what I was thinking too. I think we rushed into things. We're just not meant to be together. I mean not as boyfriend and girlfriend. We're still good friends, right?"

Suki laughed. "Of course we're still friends. It's not like I hate you or anything. It's just that…well, I guess you understand."

"Yeah. So…that's it then?" Sokka said awkwardly.

"I…guess," Suki said just as awkwardly. Suddenly they both started to laugh. They were both equally relieved at the way things had turned out. They stood up, gave each other a small hug, and then left, one a little after the other. Sokka wondered how he was going to tell everyone else. He figured he would just let them find out on their own; it wasn't that big a deal. As he slowly made his way back to the house, he spotted a small figure walking along the shore of the beach. A second look proved the figure to be Toph. With a pang of guilt, Sokka realized that he had been completely ignoring her these past couple of weeks. He figured he would make it up to her now. "Hey, Toph," he said although he knew she had probably already noticed he was approaching.

"Hey, Sokka. What's up?" she sounded as if she were surprised he was there.

"Nothing much," he said as he reached the spot where she was standing. "I mean, well, not exactly nothing much. I just realized that I've kind of unintentionally been ignoring you lately, and I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." Toph seemed even more surpised at this statement.

"Oh, well that's alright. I completely understand. Suki's your girlfriend; you should be spending more time with her."

"Well, the thing is, I thought you should be the first one to know considering the fact that we used to tell each other secrets and what-not. Suki and I broke up," he realized how blunt that probably sounded.

"YOU WHAT?!" The look on Toph's face was one of complete shock.

"Yeah, we just kind of decided it was over a few minutes ago," he said awkwardly. Wow, this night was turning into a night of awkward moments. There was a long silence. "So…what do you think?" he asked after a while.

"Well, you're not lying," she said with a small laugh. "I'm sorry, Sokka."

"Don't be. It was bound to happen. We just weren't meant for each other." There was another awkward pause as both of them tried to think of something to say. Sokka was the first to break the silence. "Well, I guess I'm going to grab something to eat and go to bed. I'm tired. See you tomorrow." He quickly made his way back to the beach house, and, after a quick meal, he resigned to his warm cozy bed. Sokka fell asleep that night with all of the days events swirling around in his mind.


	6. Trust

**Next chap! Yay! Back to the old line. Anyway, three chapters in a row! My sister finally decided to edit them all. Hopefully, I'll have the next chapter or two tomorrow, but I'm still in the process of writing them, so maybe it'll just be one. I don't know. We'll see. And by the way, Zutarians, enjoy this chapter. This is the closest to Zutara this story (and probably any other story written by me) will get. :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. If I did, I would make sure that all the episodes aired in Canada at the same time as the United States.**

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Zuko was happy...For the time being anyway. He had finally gotten the chance to help someone, and he felt good about it. Toph seemed a lot happier now, even before she found out that Suki and Sokka broke up, which, Zuko figured, helped a bit too. That was one thing off of his mind. Now to tackle the next. And this one wasn't going to be nearly as easy. He sighed. All of his plans hinged on whether Katara trusted him or not. He needed her help, and as soon as possible; he didn't know how much time he had. As if she had heard his thoughts, he spotted her walking along the beach not too far from where he was standing. "Katara, do you have a second?" Zuko asked as she drew closer.

"Yeah, sure, Zuko. What do you want?" the waterbender replied. He would definitely say that they were friends now, but did she really completely trust him? He decided to ask bluntly. Zuko glanced from side-to-side to make sure no one was around; it was the middle of the day, so they were probably all off training or whatever it was they did. They were also in a pretty secluded area surrounded by rocks, but Zuko checked just to make sure.

"Do you trust me?" he finally asked. He held his breath as Katara's expression changed to one of doubt. There was a long pause. He wouldn't blame her if she refused to help him. He probably wouldn't even trust himself, if he were in Katara's position considering all that he'd done in the past. But, then again, he had helped Sokka rescue her Dad, so maybe…Finally Katara spoke. "Yes," she said quietly. "Why do you ask?"

"I need your help," he said. He hoped the relief wasn't evident in his voice. "for… something."

"Well, I can't help you if I don't know what it's for," Katara stated after another pause.

"Yeah…um, well," here goes, "I need you to help me rescue my girlfriend," he said, maybe slightly faster than he had originally intended.

"You need me to what?!" Yeah, that was basically the reaction he was expecting.

"Well, back at the Boiling Rock-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, Sokka told me everything," Katara cut in. "The girl who attacked us all the time saved all your lives, but you left before you saw how Azula would react. At least that's what he said."

"Basically, yes." This was kind of awkward.

"No." What?

"No?"

"No. How crazy do you think I am? Look, having you come right up to our face and telling us that you've changed is one thing, but do you really expect me to go rescue someone who has been one of our mortal enemies just because she did something that maybe Azula didn't like so much? Yeah, I don't think so." She started to walk past him.

"Katara wait!" Zuko turned and said. "Just hear me out for a second. Just one second." Katara stopped. "I don't expect you to do anything, but I'm asking you, begging you to just imagine you were in my position. How would you feel if someone you cared about…Sokka. How would you feel if I had come back without Sokka, and you had no idea what had happened to him, only that you knew it wasn't something good?" Katara turned around. "Zuko, this is completely different!"

"Sokka was there. He saw the whole thing. If you don't trust me, you have to trust him!" He was desperate now.

"Zuko, I told you I trust you. It's just that…"

"Please, Katara. I can't do this alone. I need your help. Please." He saw her expression soften a bit, and hope stirred within him. There was a long silence as she weighed everything in her mind. Finally with a deep breath she said, "Look, Zuko. You helped my brother by your own choice even when he discouraged you, and if it weren't for you, he would never have made it. I guess I kind of owe it to you. And she saved my brother's life as well, so I guess in a way, I kind of owe her too. Maybe I've been a bit too quick to judge people, you being a good example." She paused for a moment, then took a deep breath and continued. "Fine. I guess I'll try listening to my heart for once while everything else in me is screaming "no". Maybe it'll end up telling me the right thing." Zuko could have fainted with happiness. Katara once again turned to leave.

"Wait. Katara, I never got the chance to tell you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I said and did to you and your friends, and I know that I can't take it back. And I wanted you to know how much this means to me. I hope maybe someday I'll be able to make it up to you."

Katara's eyes glistened for a few seconds. "Zuko. You already have. More than you know." And without warning, Katara threw her arms around him in an embrace that said "Thank you", and "I'm sorry" all at the same time. After his first wave of surprise passed, Zuko returned the hug, and they remained there for a few moments, all forms of hostility completely vanished, replaced with understanding.


	7. Arguments and Instructions

**Next Chap! Yay! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I was kind of busy, and then I saw the finale (which was awesome), and I didn't really feel like writing anymore, but now I'm back!! Actually, I wrote this chapter before I saw the finale, but I didn't post it just because I didn't :). Oh yeah, and there are still no spoilers for Southern Raiders, Ember Island Players, or Sozin's Comet. I'm just continuing on with the story like I never saw the finale since I basically had the main plot written out in my head before anyway. So, if anything happens to be the same, it's just a coincidence (or maybe good speculation on my part lol). And I won't talk about those episodes in these little sections at the top of the page until they have aired in Canada (for all you Canadians who are not like me, and can wait for the finale :D). Please review. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. If I did, I would have changed (or added) a couple things about the finale (those of you who have seen it probably know what I'm thinking about :D).**

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Katara took a deep breath as she gazed out of her window overlooking the spot where she and Zuko had agreed to meet. She had donned the black outfit that Zuko had asked her to get for some unknown reason that he had yet to explain, and now she was just waiting for him to show up before she joined him. She still couldn't believe she had agreed to this. It was just so…not her. She glanced outside again and peered through the darkness. Still nothing. Silence filled the house. She had to admit, it was creepy at night. And she was already nervous as it was. Suddenly she saw a movement outside. It was Zuko. Finally. She quietly tiptoed out of the house, glad for the wooden floors, so that Toph couldn't sense the vibrations she made. Safely out the door, she joined Zuko down on the shore to the rear of the building. He was dressed much the same as she was. All in black with a black cloth over his mouth and nose. "Great, you're here. Let's get going."

"I would love to, but I don't exactly know where we're going. And while you're at it why don't you explain everything else too," Katara said with maybe just a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Right. Well, we're going to a Fire Nation prison-"

"Really?! I would never have thought!" Ok, so maybe that comment wasn't absolutely necessary either.

"Katara, just let me explain," Zuko said a little annoyed.

"Alright, no more sarcastic comments. I promise. Go ahead. So, first of all why the black outfits?"

"I don't know, maybe so we won't be spotted as easily? See, if you look around you everything's black. The rocks are black; the water is black; the-"

"Alright, alright! I get it."

"Oh, so now look who's getting annoyed at sarcastic comments," Zuko smirked.

"Sarcastic comments are different than talking to me like I'm a five year old!" Katara shot back.

"Well, maybe if you hadn't made the sarcastic comments in the first place, I wouldn't have talked to you like you were a five year old!" Zuko argued. Katara was about to say something smart back, but she thought better of it. "Look, Zuko. This isn't going to work if we just argue the whole time, so why don't we both just shut up, and listen to each other without any snide remarks," she said still annoyed.

"Fine. Anyways, as I was SAYING before I was rudely interrupted…" Katara glared at him. "We are going to a Fire Nation prison. And we're wearing the black outfits, so that nobody will notice us as we approach said Fire Nation prison." Katara was just about ready to freeze his mouth shut. Then Zuko's tone got serious. The joking, if you could call that joking, was over. "This mission relies on stealth and speed. Basically get in, find Mai, and get out as quickly as possible."

"Well, that's a great plan. At the same time why don't we-" she stopped herself. No more sarcastic comments. "Fine. I get the point of your plan, but why don't we just do what you and Sokka did and disguise ourselves as guards?"

"Mainly because the helmets they wear don't cover their faces. Small detail, I know, but it wouldn't work. Plus we couldn't risk talking to anyone. It's too close to the Royal City. Somebody would be bound to recognize me."

"Good point. So where exactly is this place, and why did you specifically need my help?"

"Answer to both questions…it's in the middle of the ocean."  
"What??"

"Well, not exactly the middle, but it's pretty far out; you can just barely see the shore from where it's located. Which is good for us because it means less people to spot us, and if we do happen to get caught and need to resort to fighting our way out, it would take a long time to send backup."

"So, how exactly is it built on the water; is it like the Boiling Rock? And why on earth would they build it on the water?"

"Whoa, lot's of questions. First of all, it's actually kind of more of a boat, but it's completely anchored to the floor obviously, so the prisoners can't just take over and sail away. For your second question, no, it's completely different than the Boiling Rock. Just because it's around water doesn't automatically make it similar. And why would they build it on water? Because it makes it harder to escape. Any more questions?"

"Well, I could basically just repeat the last two out of the three questions I just asked for all the information you gave me."

Zuko sighed. "Can we at least talk about this while we're on our way? We need to get moving."

"Fine. I'm assuming that I'm going to have to do all the work."

"Well, unless I'm the Avatar, and I can bend more than one element, and I'm clearly not, yeah. Sorry." They quickly skirted the edge of the cliff that surrounded the house until they reached the shoreline. Katara waterbended a sheet of ice big enough for both of them to stand on, and used her abilities to steer the makeshift raft out to sea. When they were a good distance away Zuko spoke again. "Alright, so, here's a little lesson on the prison, which doesn't have a specific name. First of all its main defense is, as I already said, the fact that it's in the middle of the ocean. Second is that well…" he paused for a second, "if somebody is trying to escape, and their escape is inevitable, which has never happened so far, and there is absolutely nothing the guards can do about it, rather than let anyone escape, they'll sink the whole prison."

"They'll do what?!"

"Lock the doors and sink the ship."

"Why would they do that?"

"So no one will escape."

"Yeah, you said that. But why would they kill all of those people just so that one person won't escape?"

"First of all, that's the Fire Nation for you. Secondly, the people held in the prison aren't exactly your average ordinary, stole a loaf of bread type of prisoner. They're the ones who committed the most serious crimes against the Fire Nation. Mostly traitors. People who would probably be sentenced to death anyway. In a sick way, it would actually save them a lot of trouble to just sink the prison." Katara was silent for a few seconds. She knew the Fire Nation had some evil people, but she didn't realize they could be that bad. But, then again, if everyone in the Fire Nation was even remotely like Azula, which she fervently hoped they were not, then yeah, it was probably pretty bad.

"So, by coming here, and obviously planning on escaping without dying, we're basically asking them to sink it," she said.

"Which is another reason why you're here. If, for some reason, we do get caught, and they decide to sink the prison, your job is to somehow keep it afloat, or something of that sort, long enough for us to get out."

"Wow. You really thought everything through. This shouldn't be too hard even if we do have to resort to fighting, you and me being master benders and everything."  
"Well, we can't assume too much yet. Anything can happen." They continued journeying in silence for a while, the only sound being the gently swishing of the water as Katara silently and skillfully moved the raft toward their destination. Finally Katara asked the question that had been on her mind for a while now. "Zuko, how do you even know she's here?"

"Because I know my sister," Zuko replied grimly. Suddenly, in the distance, a dark shape loomed out of the shadows. They had arrived.


	8. Plan in Action

**Next Chap! Sweetness! This one's a little shorter. Anyways, since SR and EIP aired in Canada already just wanted to point out a couple of things about the story. I totally called them just randomly getting rid of the not-so-important characters lol. And Katara and Zuko going to a ship (except the circumstance was completely different, but it doesn't matter, I would have put in a Zuko/Mai rescue mission anyway lol). And in EIP when Zuko says that the beach house is the last place that they would look. Yeah, that's about it for now. Couple other things, but I have to wait until next week. :) Anyways, enjoy the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. If I did, Ember Island Players would have been less depressing. (actually probably not; I thought it was a great episode for just before the finale because it put me in an "everybody's going to die" mood. It's one of my favourite episodes though. I seriously have never laughed so hard in an Avatar episode. :D)**

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Katara stopped the raft while they were still a ways away from the prison. "So, how exactly are we going to get on the prison ship thing without being spotted?" she asked.

"Well, what about a fog cover? That seems to work pretty well. There's a dock built around the prison, and a ladder attached to the side. If we're quiet, we shouldn't be spotted."

"Sounds good to me." Katara began waterbending for the last stretch using a large cover of fog to disguise their whereabouts and engulf the ship as they drew close. They reached the dock without incident. Katara glanced up at the foreboding prison. A lone guard paced the deck far above them. They waited until he had passed, then, just as Zuko had instructed, they quickly and quietly scaled the ladder close to the bow of the ship. They landed on the deck of the prison without a sound and quickly ducked behind some equipment. Katara glanced around. It was much like any other ship except much bigger. A huge structure was built on the deck near the stern of the ship which she guessed housed the guards when they were off-duty. A few guards stood conversing with one another. "There aren't very many guards in this prison, so this shouldn't be too hard," Zuko whispered. "Just stay close to me, avoid as many guards as possible, and if we do run into one by accident we have to take him out as quietly as possible. Got it?"

"What's not to get?" she replied, although frankly, she thought the plan was way too simple for comfort. It just seemed so…easy. Suddenly she thought of something. "Zuko, you said that if we're discovered they lock the doors on us. If that happens, what are we going to do?"

"Simple. You'll just break through the door with waterbending."

"But-"

"Shh. One of the guards is coming this way." They hardly breathed as the lone guard walked within inches of where they were hiding. When he was out of earshot, Zuko explained, "The hallways form a large rectangle with doors located at the end of each one. The stairs alternate going up and down." He pointed directly in front of them where a square opening could be seen on the deck. "For example, if you're on the first floor that set of stairs would go up."

"Obviously," Katara stated. Zuko ignored her comment. He pointed to the stern of the ship. "The one that would be over there would lead down to the next level. The one over there…" he pointed across from them at the far end of the ship where a similar square opening could be seen, "…would lead back up, and the one over there…" he pointed across from them, "…would also lead down to the next level. It's fairly simple to navigate through. You just have to be conscious of which stairs go up, and which ones go down, especially if we need to get out of here in a hurry."

"How many times have you been here?" Katara asked. He seemed to know this prison inside and out.

"Just once. That's how easy it is to remember. Anything else you need to know?"

"Nope." Katara replied. They then quickly made their way to the bottom of the staircase. Zuko opened the door slightly and peered out. Nobody was in sight. They quickly and stealthily made their way through the ship without incident. It looked much like any other prison. Doors lined each side of the hallway. On each door was a large barred window, so they could easily see into each cell, while still keeping up a good pace. "Zuko." Katara whispered after a while.

"What is it?"

"This is too easy."

"Yeah, that's the point." Zuko answered slightly annoyed.

"I know, but, well for one thing, where are all the guards? We haven't seen hardly any since we came here. I don't like it. Something feels wrong. As if we're forgetting something." Maybe they had forgotten something. Maybe this was all just a big mistake. Why had she agreed to come anyway?

"You worry too much. I doubt they get many visitors at this place, so they're probably all just slacking off. And anyway, even if this were some sort of trap, don't you think something would have happened by now? Besides, I've thought everything out. Even if something does happen, we should have no problem."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Katara breathed in slowly. Maybe she did worry too much. Well, there was nothing they could do now; they were already here. And she knew that she couldn't have refused to help Zuko anyway. She would have felt guilty for the rest of her life. They continued on in silence for a little while longer. They were already on the third floor. How big was this place? They stopped for a few seconds. "Zuko." Katara whispered again.

"What now?"

"Well, what if she isn't here?" Zuko turned around and spoke to her angrily, "Look, I told you already. I know she's here." His voice softened. "She has to be. It's all my fault that she's here in the first place."

"Well, you can say that again." They both started at the sound of the voice. A figure stepped out of the shadows in the cell next to them. Zuko's expression changed to one of surprise. "Mai!"

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**This is the part where I go "Squeee!!" and smile uncontrollably which tends to happen evertime Mai comes out of nowhere like that (and she does that a lot :D).**


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